息いきが詰つまる

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き

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息が詰まる · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	息いきが詰つまる	息いきが詰つまらない
Polite	息いきが詰つまります	息いきが詰つまりません
Past polite	息いきが詰つまりました	息いきが詰つまりませんでした
Past	息いきが詰つまった	息いきが詰つまらなかった
Te-form	息いきが詰つまって	息いきが詰つまらないで
Desire	息いきが詰つまりたい	息いきが詰つまりたくない
Potential	息いきが詰つまれる	息いきが詰つまれない
Passive	息いきが詰つまられる	息いきが詰つまられない
Causative	息いきが詰つまらせる	息いきが詰つまらせない
Causative passive	息いきが詰つまらせられるalso 息いきが詰つまらされる	息いきが詰つまらせられないalso 息いきが詰つまらされない
Volitional	息いきが詰つまろう
Polite volitional	息いきが詰つまりましょう
Imperative	息いきが詰つまれ	息いきが詰つまるな
Conditional	息いきが詰つまれば	息いきが詰つまらなければ
Tara conditional	息いきが詰つまったら	息いきが詰つまらなかったら

Meanings

expression, godan verb (-ru)

choke; have trouble breathing

Describes a physical sensation of breath being constricted, often due to tight clothing, strong emotions, or a heavy atmosphere.

ネクタイがきつくて息いきが詰つまる。
My tie is so tight I can't breathe.
緊きん張ちょうで息いきが詰つまりそうだった。
I was so nervous I felt like I was choking.

See all 17 example sentences ›

Kanji

息breath, respiration, son
詰packed, close, pressed

Related words

息いき苦ぐるしいN1
息苦しい is an adjective describing a stifling, hard-to-breathe feeling or atmosphere, while 息が詰まる is a verb phrase describing the sudden sensation of one's breath being blocked.
気きが詰つまる
気が詰まる focuses on mental tension or awkwardness making one feel stifled, whereas 息が詰まる emphasizes the physical sensation of breath being constricted (though often used figuratively too).
窒ちっ息そくN1
息が詰まる is a more everyday, figurative expression for feeling suffocated, while 窒息する is a medical/technical term for actual suffocation.

Opposites

ほっとN3
息が詰まる describes feeling suffocated or tense, while ほっとする describes the relief of finally being able to breathe easy again.

Don't confuse with

息いきを呑のむN1
息を呑む means to gasp and hold one's breath in surprise or awe, whereas 息が詰まる means to feel suffocated by tension, oppressive atmosphere, or tight clothing.

Built from

息いき+詰つまる

Written forms

息いきが詰つまる
Standard kanji spelling.
息いきがつまる
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in everyday writing.

Etymology

Compound of 息 (breath) + が (subject marker) + 詰まる (to be blocked). The verb 詰まる means 'to be packed' or 'to be blocked', so the phrase literally means 'breath becomes blocked'.